[02/07/07 - 02:09 PM]Soapnet Acquires "The O.C." and "One Tree Hill," for April Premiere Both series will begin airing weekdays on the cable channel starting Monday, April 9.

[via press release from SOAPnet]

SOAPNET ACQUIRES �THE O.C.� AND �ONE TREE HILL,� FOR APRIL PREMIERE

�Welcome to �The O.C.��.SOAPnet�

BURBANK, CA � (February 7, 2007) � SOAPnet, the new way to watch soaps, has made a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution to acquire the rights to all four seasons of �The O.C.� and all four seasons of �One Tree Hill,� both hit drama series from Warner Bros. Television, Deborah Blackwell, General Manager, SOAPnet, announced today.

��The O.C.� and �One Tree Hill� will resonate with our viewers and live perfectly alongside the top five rated daytime soaps and our other acquired primetime dramas,� said Blackwell. �We continue to enjoy partnering with Warner Bros. to bring our viewers the best in primetime soaps.�

�We are thrilled to be in business with SOAPnet on both �The O.C.� and �One Tree Hill,� two series that have been magnets for the young female demo throughout their four seasons on broadcast television,� said Eric Frankel, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. �These shows are a perfect fit for SOAPnet, and we look forward to their premiere�and ratings success�in April.�

�The O.C.� and �One Tree Hill� will air Monday-Friday, beginning April 9. �The O.C.� will air at 6PM, �One Tree Hill� at 5PM. SOAPnet�s number 1 acquired soap with women 18-34, �Beverly Hills 90210,� will lead into both new series at 3PM and 4PM.

A pop-culture phenomenon since its premiere in August 2003 on FOX, �The O.C.� stars Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Ben McKenzie, Mischa Barton, Adam Brody, Melinda Clarke, Rachel Bilson, Tate Donovan, Autumn Reeser, Willa Holland, Alan Dale and Chris Carmack. In the series, the lives of a group of friends and families are forever changed by the arrival of an outsider to their affluent oceanside community of Newport Beach in Orange County, California. When Ryan Atwood (McKenzie) was taken in from the streets of Chino by then public defender Sandy Cohen (Gallagher) and his wife, Kirsten (Rowan), the Cohens had no idea how Ryan's arrival would change their lives and the lives of those around them. Their "adorkable" son, Seth (Brody), found a friend and brother in Ryan to share his quirky way of looking at the world�and the trials and tribulations of winning the heart of Summer Roberts (Bilson), his lifelong crush. Ryan has fallen in love with the beautiful girl next door, Marissa Cooper (Barton). But their romance is ill-fated, constantly tested by the young lovers' inability to escape from their pasts. From Wonderland Sound and Vision, College Hill Pictures in association with Warner Bros. Television, �The O.C.� was created by Josh Schwartz and executive produced by McG, Bob DeLaurentis, Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Dave Bartis and Doug Liman.

A hit series on The CW, �One Tree Hill� stars Chad Michael Murray, James Lafferty, Hilarie Burton, Bethany Joy Galeotti, Paul Johansson, Sophia Bush, Barbara Alyn Woods, Lee Norris, Barry Corbin, Craig Sheffer and Moira Kelly. In a small North Carolina town, two estranged half brothers carry on very different lives. Basketball prodigy Nathan Scott (Lafferty) has inherited the throne of high school popularity once held by his father, Dan (Johansson), while Lucas Scott (Murray), also a talented player, stays an outsider. Spending nights shooting hoops on a riverfront court, Lucas remains the son Dan never acknowledged. Now, Lucas' and Nathan's paths intersect for the first time, and in the crossroads stands Peyton Sawyer (Burton), Nathan's beautiful, edgy girlfriend who just may have more in common with Lucas. Throw in the quiet animosity between Dan and his brother, Keith (Sheffer), along with Lucas' mother, Karen (Kelly)�all of whom must cope with the aftermath of their choices�and something has to give. From Tollin/Robbins Productions and Warner Bros. Television, �One Tree Hill� was created by Mark Schwahn and is executive produced by Schwahn, Greg Prange, Michael Tollin, Brian Robbins, Joe Davola and Mark B. Perry.

SOAPnet, the new way to watch soaps, offers same-day episodes of popular daytime dramas including �All My Children,� �Days of our Lives,� �One Life to Live� �General Hospital� and �The Young and the Restless� at night for convenient viewing. In addition, the network provides inside access to stars and storylines with original programs, including the biography show �Soapography,� �1 Day With�� and the reality series �I Wanna Be a Soap Star.� Wrapped in a 24-hour environment, SOAPnet also offers primetime classics including �Beverly Hills 90210,� �Melrose Place,� �Falcon Beach� and �Dallas,� as well as former daytime series �Port Charles,� �Ryan�s Hope,� and �Another World.�

Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution is one of the leading suppliers of programming to the pay television and basic cable marketplaces. WBDCD is responsible for the sale, marketing and distribution of previously produced content from the vast Warner Bros. Entertainment library�including feature films, television series, miniseries, television movies and specials�to basic cable and pay TV. WBDCD is also a major licensor of feature films to the broadcast networks.